1. “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore” (Matt. 28:18-19).
To preach the gospel, we must have authority. Today the world has been usurped by Satan. All the people in the world lie under his hand (1 John 5:19). People do not receive the gospel, because of the work of Satan. Although many know that believing in the Lord is good and honorable, they simply do not believe. Even though they are not foolish, many do not believe, because the devil cheats and usurps them. The devil hinders them from believing and receiving the gospel. Since preaching the gospel results in demons being cast out, demons can have some ground in those who do not believe and receive the gospel. Casting out demons is not a matter of power but of authority. When a policeman stands at an intersection and raises his hand, cars stop because of his authority, not his power. According to the Lord, we must deal with demons by using authority, not power, and He has given us authority to overcome the power of demons (Luke 10:19). The Lord has given us all authority in heaven and on earth. He rose from the dead and received all authority in heaven and on earth. Consequently, He wants us to preach the gospel to the entire world. We should preach the gospel with His authority as our base. For this we need faith. The gospel that we preach is the gospel of the Lord who received all authority in heaven and on earth. It is the gospel of the One who ascended to the heavens and was made both Lord and Christ (Acts 2:36). He has given us His authority in heaven and on earth and commanded us to preach the gospel. We should apply His authority by faith to deal with all the demons who oppose the gospel, usurp people, and cause them to reject the gospel. We have been sent by the Lord of heaven and earth to announce the glad tidings of release to the captives by preaching the gospel of His salvation (Luke 4:18). We should stand in this position and announce His authoritative gospel by faith, casting out demons and forcing them to leave those whom they have usurped. When we preach the gospel, we must apply this faith. We must have faith. We must believe that Satan has been defeated and that the demons must leave. We must believe that the Lord has won the victory and that sinners should be saved. This faith is based upon the Lord’s authority, which He has given to us.
When we go to preach the gospel, we should use this authority to deal with Satan, to deal with the storms and hindrances that he raises up in our path, and even more, to deal with the disturbances and opposition that he stirs up in our environment. When the Lord wanted to cross the sea with the disciples to cast out demons, Satan raised up a storm to hinder the Lord. What did the Lord do? He commanded the winds and the sea. He used His authority to deal with the storm raised up by Satan. The disciples, however, did not realize this, and they did not have faith (Mark 4:35—5:20). When the apostle Paul was in Paphos on the island of Cyprus, Satan stirred up a man called Bar-jesus to oppose him. In response, Paul used the Lord’s authority to deal with him (Acts 13:6-12). Often when we are on the way to preach the gospel or are preaching the gospel, we encounter difficulties that require us not only to pray for a solution but also to apply the Lord’s authority to deal with the power behind the difficulties. This requires faith. We need faith to pray and to apply the authority that the Lord has given us.
1. “Repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed...I send forth the promise of My Father upon you...Put on power from on high”; “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you shall be My witnesses...unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Luke 24:47-49; Acts 1:8).
When we preach the gospel, we must also have power. This power is the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit coming upon us as our power. Before the apostles preached the gospel on the day of Pentecost, they received power. The Holy Spirit promised by God came upon them and caused them to receive power from on high; then they preached the gospel. They received authority at the time of the Lord’s resurrection and ascension, but on the day of Pentecost they received the power of the Holy Spirit so that their gospel preaching would be effective. The authority of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit are interconnected. Authority is a matter of position, whereas power is a matter of condition. According to position, we have the authority of Christ; according to condition, we need the power of the Holy Spirit. We should confess and apply the authority of Christ by faith, and we should pursue and receive the power of the Holy Spirit by faith. We must have the authority of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit so that our preaching of the gospel would be with authority and power.